London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 17, 2026

Rwanda deal: Migrants in Calais say they'll still try to cross to UK

Rwanda deal: Migrants in Calais say they'll still try to cross to UK

Five weeks after the UK announced a deal with Rwanda to resettle undocumented migrants who arrive on British shores, the mood among migrants in Calais has shifted.

"Before, people were all afraid," Hassan told me, at an aid distribution site near Calais. "But now they're not. They think they must get to the UK."

Hassan isn't easily deterred. Thirty years old, from the Sudanese region of Darfur, he limped from his camp to the distribution point where I met him, leaning on a walking stick. After living for three years in the French city with chronic back injuries, he was still determined to make it across the Channel.

I asked what he would do if the UK sent him to Rwanda instead.

"My life would be finished," he told me. "My life would be over. It would be like killing me slowly. Everyone knows what Rwanda was before. It doesn't have human rights. Migrants are not welcome there."

An aid worker estimates 10-15% of migrants have been put off by the new policy


At a camp table nearby, Mohammed - also from Sudan - slammed dominos down in a lively four-way game with fellow migrants. Mohammed usually plays for higher stakes, hiding in lorries bound for the UK.

If he found himself one day resettled in Rwanda, he said, he would come straight back to Calais, and try to cross the Channel again.

Only one of those I spoke to here said the new UK policy had changed his plans.

Aid agencies say there is a great deal of worry over the policy, but that the majority of migrants living here have not abandoned their bid to reach the UK - often because they have family ties or job opportunities there.

Some non-African migrants reportedly believe the resettlement policy won't apply to them; others see it as a scare tactic that won't be implemented at all.

One aid worker estimated the number of people deterred by the resettlement policy to be 10-15%.

Juliette Delaplace from the Secours Catholique charity says some people are now claiming asylum in France


Juliette Delaplace, from the Christian charity Secours Catholique, said the uncertainty was pushing some people to leave Calais for a few weeks or months, to see how the situation evolves.

"We've seen people claiming asylum in [France]," she told me, "because they're not sure what will happen to them once they reach the UK."

The number of people living in camps around Calais has fallen, but it's hard to tell whether that's linked to the resettlement policy, or to tougher tactics by French police to break up migrant camps.

French gendarmes patrol the coastline on the English Channel trying to stop illegal crossings


And as security around Calais and Dunkirk has improved, many smuggling networks - and their customers - have simply moved further down the coast.

The regional gendarme commander, Gen Franz Tavart, has said for years that the length of this coastline, and the lure of the UK, means that policing alone will never be enough to stop the crossings.

So, on a dune overlooking France's northern beaches at dawn, I asked him whether the threat of resettlement in Rwanda had made any impact over the past five weeks.

"It's still a little early to measure the impact," he said. "Decisions have been made with Rwanda, but regardless of the announcement, I think smugglers will watch to see if this measure is actually implemented - that's what might dissuade them, and therefore the migrants, from continuing to try their luck in the UK."

More than 600 people crossed this water successfully last weekend. More have followed since then.

It's early days, but for most migrants here, ready to gamble with their lives to reach the UK, resettlement is just one more risk.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Health Unions Warn of Staffing Pressures as Public and Private Pay Growth Diverges
Rockstar Games Faces Tribunal Claims From 23 Former Grand Theft Auto VI Developers
UK Treasury Faces Tighter Budget Constraints as Borrowing Costs and Pension Spending Rise
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Sets Out Ten-Year Plan for Greater Public Oversight of Utilities
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Services and Technology Activity Strengthen
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Leaders Coordinate Push for UK Constitutional Change
Police Tighten Public-Order Measures After Anti-Immigration Protests in Dover and Portsmouth
UK Ministers Pressed for Answers After US Diplomat Accused of Child Abuse Images Leaves Britain
Jaguar Land Rover Pursues NATO Defense Contracts for Defender Vehicles
British Service Member Dies in Road Accident While Deployed in Ukraine
George Osborne Calls for Britain to Rejoin EU Customs Union
Anthropic Chief Dario Amodei Urges Faster UK Action on Advanced AI Risks
UK State Pension Set for 3.9% Rise Under Triple Lock
UK Labour Market Cools as Payrolled Employment Continues to Decline
Reform UK’s £72 Million in Donations Faces Scrutiny Under Proposed Retrospective Funding Rules
UK Doctors Warn Expanded Pharmacy First Scheme Could Put Patients at Risk
British Airlines Cut Short-Haul Capacity as Jet Fuel Costs Rise
UK News Publishers Forecast 40% Search Traffic Drop as AI Overviews Expand
Axel Springer Wins Approval for £575 Million Daily Telegraph Acquisition
London Mayor Sadiq Khan Opposes Heathrow Third Runway Over Climate Targets
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Leaders Hold Summit Seeking Greater Autonomy
UK Energy Price Cap Set to Rise to £1,723 in October
UK Treasury Warns Middle East Conflict Is Threatening Economic Growth
Labour Moves to Retrospectively Cap Overseas Political Donations After Reform UK Funding Surge
HMRC Warns Nearly Seven Million Adults Are Unclear About State Pension Entitlements
UK Parliament Passes Sovereign Grant Reform Before Conference Recess
British Rail Passengers Gain Automatic Right to Switch Operators During Disruptions
Burnham Hosts Downing Street Business Summit as UK Fiscal Pressure Builds
Labour Government Moves to Challenge £72 Million in Reform UK Crypto Donations
UK Advertising Industry Warns Wider Junk Food Rules Could Put £1 Billion in Media Spending at Risk
Cornwall Opens Devolution Talks With UK Government Over Transport and Local Services
UK Parliament Considers Sovereign Grant Reform Setting Royal Funding at £99.9 Million
Trades Union Congress Calls for Income-Based Energy Tariff Funded by Higher Bank Levy
UK Prime Minister Rejects Second Scottish Independence Referendum
House of Lords Begins Scrutiny of Bill to Lower UK Voting Age to 16
Anthropic Says Claude Was Exploited in Weapons-Related and State-Linked Cyber Activity
Institute of Directors Urges UK Government to Avoid Business Tax Increases in Autumn Budget
Rising Gilt Yields Cut UK Fiscal Headroom to About £13 Billion Ahead of Budget
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Services and Technology Activity Strengthen
UK Government Promises Clearer Student Loan Guidance After Repayment Backlash
Charities Warn Unpaid Carers May Die Before Receiving Government Compensation
Dover Unrest Prompts Review of UK Counter-Extremism Strategy
Celtic Summit Leaders Reassert Right to Pursue Independence From UK
NHS Records Busiest Summer on Record Amid Severe Heatwaves
Harrods Faces Potential £150 Million Compensation Bill Over Al Fayed Abuse Claims
UK Parliament Opens Debate on Landmark Assisted Dying Legislation
Metropolitan Police Investigate Reform UK Over Alleged Foreign Electoral Donations
UK Economy Expands 0.4% in July as AI Investment Boosts Activity
Bank of England Signals Caution on Rates as Inflation Pressures Persist
Tesco Alerts Police After Scammers Use Its Branding in AI-Generated Fraud
×